Spreader box



July 9, 1946. I w. J. MILLER v I 2,403,820

SPREADER BOX Filed July 51, 1944 I v/' l8/l l'mnentor Will/am Milka attorney Patented July 9, l946 "mass.

"' This "invention *relates to' a spreader box and more particularly to a spreader box adapted to uniformlyspread -asphaltic'= concrete-- and other 'bitu'min'ousbase paving materials. i The-principal object of the invention is the provision of a spreader box-designed to'be used in combination with a 'conventional motor truck.

A-.further object of the invention is the provision ofa spreader box attached to a motor truck and-operated in connection therewith withrethe thickness of the material being spread and laid; 1 :"3: I

Z A' still further "object or the invention is the .provisionof a spre'ader'box'incorporating a material' spreading {and compacting means adjustably'positioned' withrespect to the-device. V

A still further 'object-oftheinvention is the provision of ameans of attaching a spreader box to thesupportingmotortruckx o The spreader: box shown'and described herein hascb'eemdesigned: to form a relatively inexpensive yetpractical'spreader box for the application ofivarious'so-called black top materials widely used in :paving and resurfacing operations. It is'known thatrather cumbersome' and complicated mechanisms have heretofore been devised and employed for spreading various road building materials particularly concrete and the like and the presentinvention contemplates an im= provementwith respect to such devices in'that a relatively simple and inexpensive mechanism has beenodesigned which is capable of being operated connection with a conventional motor truck which supplies the motive power and serves as a means of supplying the hopper of the spreader box-itself with additional material to be spread and at the same time, and most importantly, provides a fixed point of support for a portion of the spreader box makingpossible its spreading -of material of a desirable uniform thickness, particularly with respect to relatively rough road beds or other areas over which: the material is being applied. The device is sodesignedthat when 'used in combination with a conventional motor truck havingan attachment bracket af- 1 fixed :to' its rear axle, it approximates use and embodiment o the invention .1 UNITEDifSTAT-ES OFFICE SPRE EBQ? 2' 1 ii Q vvmiani jr Miuea-T Youngstown-x Ohio, assignor 'i' to The City Asphalt and.l.Paving. ;Company,.

.Youngstown,Ohio,a corporatio1r of Ohio resona ors-31, 1944, serial No. 547,433

.7 i W (o1..o4 .:4 i.f,--.

herein disclosed can be made within'the scope of'whatis claimed withspec't to the adjustments necessary'f'or varying '1;

ing drawing, wherein:

out departing from the spirit of the'invention'; The "invention is illustrated'in the accompany- Figure 1 is a side elevation 'of a spreader box illustrating aportion' of a dump truck' body'andp symbolically designating the rear wheels and axle of the'dump truck with which the spreader box isu's'ed Figure 2 is a topplan view of the device illus ltra'tedin Figure-l and shows the rearaxle and wheels ofthe dump truck in symbolic illustration. I Byreferring-to the drawing and'Figure 1 in particular it will be observed that the spreader box consists primarily of a; hopper Ill supported foniai'hollow' frame-"LL 5 Theframe .Il includes a plurality of cross members and extends through the hopper I0 and terminates at the rearmost 'edge'thereof so ;as to provide for the free positiOllillgyiIlWhG hollow frame I I of a pivoted frame J2 to which a material smoothing and compactiing screed -|3 is attachedadjacent th hopper I110. i-, Ihe adjustable frame I2 is pivoted at its forward-end (the left end in, Figures 1 and 2) thehollow frame II by means of -a pivot I2A.

Thehopper 1-0 is formedwith an inclined front wall and is of a size comparable in widthwith a conventional dump truck body so that it can Figure 1 a portionof a dump truckbodyis in.- dicated by the numeral l5 and it will be observed that material released from the dump truck body I= 5,,as,by the opening of a tail gate lfi Willi-all directly into the hopper l0 and be directed down wardlyv and rearwardly by the inclined front wall [4 of the hopper ill. The bottom of-the hopper i0 is open, as indicated by the numeral l1, and the material placed. in the hopper I0 flows out.- wardlytherethrough. and as the entire spreader box is normallybeing moved forward or to the left, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the material is evenly spread and smoothed and partially compacted by the screed l3 which is positioned ime m'ediately in back of the hopper openingd'l. Flexibly ,mounted, adjustably positioned side guides l8 and MA, respectively, are carried on the sides of the screed l3 and control the-sideward spreading action of the material being "spread by the spreader box so as to form sharp straightedges. It will be observed that the dump truck axle is indicate'dby the numeral I9 and that a pair of mounting rods 20 and 20A are 3 ing rods 20 and 20A being welded directly to the difierential case 22 of the truck axle I9.

The method of attaching the spreader box to the mounting rods 20 and 20A on the truck axle l9 contemplate the necessity of providing a mechanism capable of almost automatic operation so there. -lo'a"ded truck may rb'e backed .inlto operating connection with the spreader box attachment means and the same secured thereto with relative ease and simplicity. The mounts ing means comprises a pair of couplers 23 and 23A, the foremost portions of which are formed with a relatively sharp v-like 2S10t -.of sufllcient size to receive the mounting bars :20 and illlAaon the truck axle I9. A pair of movable hooks 24 and 24A are mounted one in each-of the couplers 23 and 23A for longitudinal movement and are pivoted as at 25 and 25A to operating rods and 26A which extend lriearwardly from the cou- ,=p1ers .-23 and 23A and rare affixed to the :outermost ends mf amoperati-ng arm 2?! 'WmQh-iS Supported :thereby :and adapted to be moved by a centrally iposition'ed rod :28' which is attached theretojand which is provided with a ;pin '29 oprerativelytlocatedlin a i-spiral groov 3.0 in a :tubular :member 3:! :positioned on the .forward end of an -'operati ng :arm :32 which extends backwardly ithroug'h the vhopper Ill and terminates above the screed 13 and is provided with a handle $3 so that it ean be partially revolved thereby :so as to impart ilongitudinal movement to :=the operating arm 2] and hence 'to theoperating rods 26 and 26A and the coupler hook-s 24 and 24A. It will "thus :be observed that sat :such time as the device is to be "attached :to a truck ior use, *the handle :33 is ireyolyedtto cause theicoupler hooks ."24 and 14A tol. nove forward or "to :the alert as illustrated -in figures A and 2 and :thereby tm'o've, zg-ravity, downwardly out fof the couplers 23 and 723A and thereby permit the couplers 23 and :23A'fto engage the mounting rods 20 and 20K011 the tru'ck axle 1m llh handle 33 imparts rotating Emotion te the tubular member 3-! and the spiral :slot "30 therein causes the longitudinal travel of 431615111 29 and hence the coupler hooks 24 and zlA 'c'aus ing them to movesidewardly or to the-right, as

"to the '-eonstraction of the bottom portion of the cou lers', 2a and ran :and thereby engage the mounting bars 2!] and 20A as best shown in Figure l. I

If it -is desired that the spreader box b moved to a desirable position "prior teits employment "in thev'ac'tual spreading operation it may be conveniently moved by the attachment chains 3'4 to hofoks ii-on the dumptruck body T when the dum truck body is in slightly elevated relation and rearmost end, therefore; lowered with respect to its normal untilt'ed position. When "the truck body is returned "to its *normallpos'ition the entire spreader box 'is elevated by the "chains "3! and while carried "by "the truck it maybe conveniently moved to any location. In opera- 1 tiun the "chains 3'4 are unhooked "and the hopper and hollow frame 11 .of'the 'spreaderboxrarezsnpported by th truck aide l9 and by a pair 'o'i.

I2 by means or pivots 43 and 43A so that the rearmost portion of the screed l3 may be raised or lowered by the manipulation of the handles 39 and 39A which in effect pivot the screed on the pivots 43 and 43A and thereby chang the thickness of material being spread by the spreader box as suchmateria lzof necessity mustipass below the screed 13 after it leaves the hopper 19. 'The screed 13 being adjustably mounted enables the thickness of the material being spread tolbe accurately controlled as, when the rearmost portion thereof is moved downwardly the material is spread'in .a thinner layer. When the rearmost :eIIdiofithB screed 13 is elevated the material being spread the box is formed in a relatively thicker .layen- Q'I'he weight of the hollow frame I] and "the hopper I0 is carried on the wheels 36 and 5A and this enables a truck to pull the device easily.

'It will :thus be seen that a .lrelati-ve-ly simple and yet eflicientispreader box' meohanism .has been disclosed whereby asphaltic vconcrete and similar bituminous .material commonly -sknown .as black top imaterialsneither hot 01 0QlQ/"2Ild .of varying mixes, .may be vefliciently and{girapidl-y spread, leveled and partially icompaeted ithrough :ment of the device to :the axle of the truck ten-u ables the device, by reason bf the ifreelyipositioned frame l2 which carries the screedi l3,to overc'ome progressive.lirregularities :in the road bed or other area being ,pavedavith thej result that the smoothed and :partially-=compacted m-aterial is spread 'uniformlyw-an'd e venl-y ever :the road bed idue 'EtO ithe' considerable distance between the :material engagi-ngmp0ntionsjfof :the screed and the pivot Ii-2A dnthe zhollow frame LI. In actual operation :it .has :been determined that the spreader Ibox shown and described herein consistently spreadswasphaltic :and isim ar bituruinous materials a .great idealra'ster eflicient-iyzandat stheasame rtime :more eve has heretofore been believed possible and when compared :in operation :to the heretofore common method of spreading such :materials shy :lab'or employing makes, the qievice obviouslycom tributes considerably to itheieconom-ic "application Eofsuch maving'material's. :As =commo' n this art the spread materialsware siurthe-r compacted Zfor use iby {the rolling thereof iby suitable ipower rollers and the iprovision -.of such icompacting means :is mot, itheretore, -oontemplated as *a of \thi invention.

Having thus described anyf invention, what .I claimds:

1. FA spreader box icomprising a :frame having a hopper positioned.- on one end thereof and adapted lior :reeeption and :delivery ofmater-ial 1 to .be spread, means on the iotheriend of said .a hopper positioned on OX18 ,feHd'Et'heITe0fand means formed on the other end for attachment to a truck, an axle midway beneath said frame and ground engaging wheels on said axle, a secondary frame pivotally affixed at one end to the said frame at a point near the said truck attachment means, said secondary frame extending beyond the said frame at the other end and provided with a material compacting screed, the said material compacting screed being pivotally affixed to the said secondary frame and having means positioned between the said screed and the said secondary frame for controlling the angle of the said screed with respect to the plane of the said secondary frame.

3. A spreader box for asphaltic material consisting of a frame having ground engaging wheels extendingsitioned in each of the said channel-like frame members and pivotally afiixed thereto at their forward-most ends and adjacent the said truck attachment means, the rearmost end of the said arms extending beyond the end of the said frame and having a material engaging screed adjustably positioned therebeneath for engaging asphaltic material delivered from the said hopper.

4. A spreader box for asphaltic materials consisting of a frame having ground engaging "wheels mounted thereinunder, a material receiv ing and spreading hopper positioned on one end of said frame and means for attaching said frame to a truck formed on the other end thereof, said means including V-shaped uide'brackets and I hooks positioned therein for longitudinal movement with respect thereto, means on said frame for moving the said hooks in and out of the said v-shaped guide brackets, a pair of arms substantially longer than the said frame, each of which are pivoted at their forward-most ends to the said frame and adjacent the said truck attachment means and having their rearmost ends extending beyond the said hopper, a material engaging screed positioned beneath the said end extensions of the said arms and pivotally afiixed theretO and means between the said arm extensions and the said screed for varying the angle of the said screed with respect to the plane of the said arms.

5. A spreader box for asphaltic materials consisting of a frame having ground engaging wheels mounted thereinunder, a material receiving and spreading hopper positioned on one end I of said frame and means for attaching said frame to a truck formed on the other end thereof, said means including V-shaped guide brackets and hooks positioned therein for longitudinal movement with respect thereto, means on said frame for moving the said hooks in and out of the said V-shaped guide brackets, a pair of arms substantially longer than the said frame, each of which are pivoted at their forward-most ends to the said frame and adjacent the said truck attachment means and having their rearmost ends extending beyond the said hopper, a material engaging screed positioned beneath the said end extensions of the said arms and pivotally affixed thereto, and means between the said arm extensions and the said screed for varying the angle of the, said screed with respect to the plane of the said arms, said means consisting of vertically positioned screws mounted through threaded openings in the said arms and brackets positioned on the lowermost end of the said screws and pivotally aflixed to the said screed.

WILLIAM J. MILLER. 

